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| S P E C I A L | Repairing Mir |
Mir computer fix on track
But regaining full control may take 2 or 3 days
August 19, 1997
Web posted at: 8:04 a.m. EDT (1204 GMT)Latest developments:
- Collision repairs could be made Thursday
- Cause of computer failure unclear
- Related stories and sites
MOSCOW (CNN) -- After a defective piece of equipment was replaced, the main computer of the Mir space station appeared to be functioning Tuesday but ground controllers said it could take days to regain full control of the ailing craft.
"The crew is expected to spend most of (Tuesday) checking and fixing the problem with their on-board computer," said spokesman Valery Lyndin. He said restoring the rotating station's alignment with the sun in order to recharge its solar batteries "will take two or three days."
Space officials stressed the crew was in no danger.
The computer problem means it would be Thursday at the earliest before the three-man crew can begin trying to fix damage from a June collision with a cargo ship.
Once the computer is restored, the crew will need time to prepare for the repairs. The repair mission had originally been set for Wednesday.
Cause of computer failure unclear
Although the Mir was hit by a similar computer failure in July, mission control said it would take longer to restore the computer this time because the cause of the latest equipment failure was not immediately clear.
The computer failed in July when power was shut off.
The station has been spinning in orbit since Monday evening, when a computer failure during a docking procedure prompted the station automatically to switch off all but vital life support systems.
The failure meant Mir lost its stable orientation with the sun, which its solar panels need to face to create energy. Deputy flight director Viktor Blagov said the station's solar arrays were still catching enough energy to supply the life support systems.
"Most of the time solar arrays are getting the sunlight. Only occasionally the cosmonauts have to fire engines to turn the station a bit to increase power supply. We see when power supply is low from the Earth, tell them to go to their spaceship and fire engines for 10 seconds," Blagov said.
Space officials said the station's main oxygen generator had been shut down to conserve power, but the crew's oxygen supply was not threatened.
The station is large enough that its oxygen would not be depleted for several days, and the crew has many weeks' supply of oxygen "candles," which generate oxygen when burned.
Mir has run on partial power since its Spektr module was damaged in a collision with a cargo ship on June 25 in the worst accident in its 11-year history. The cosmonauts have to enter the module to re-connect electric cables leading from Spektr's solar arrays to the main ship.
Asked how the two Russian cosmonauts and U.S. astronaut Michael Foale were faring during the crisis, Mission Control chief Vladimir Solovyov said, "Well, they're trained to deal with such consequences."
Reuters contributed to this report.
· MIR MAIN PAGE · RELATED SITES · HISTORY ·
· TIMELINE · GALLERY · SOYUZ · CREW · REPAIR MISSION ·
- CNN In-Depth: Space
- Video Almanac: 1996 - Mir and Atlantis dock
- Video Almanac: 1986 - Soviets launch Mir
- Message Board: Repairing Mir
Related stories:
- Crew rights tumbling Mir after main computer fails - August 18, 1997
- Cargo craft docks manually with Mir space station - August 18, 1997
- Mir-go-round mission completed - August 15, 1997
- Mir cosmonauts prepare to return home - August 13, 1997
Related sites:
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- American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology
- Russian Space Science Internet
- Russian Space Research Insstitute (IKI)
- NASA Shuttle-Mir Web
- Keith's MIR Page
- ISS Phase I - Space Station Mir
- Russian Space Agency
- MIR Space Station - Maximov Online
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